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About The Book

Did you hear the story about Max, the boy who kidnapped his grandfather from a nursing home? You didn’t see it on the news? Well, let me tell you about it.

Max lives in a small town, much smaller than yours. His grandpa is losing his memory, but still remembers quite a bit. You can imagine how they hurried, Max and his grandpa, followed by old Miss Schneider, who insisted on coming along. Why were they in a hurry? Because everyone was after them. Max had skipped school to rescue his grandpa, and they were just starting out on what promised to be one of the best days of their entire lives.

A touching story about dementia and the special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, with a CD audiobook featuring classical music for children by Georges Bizet and Sergei Prokofiev.

About the illustrator: Nele Palmtag, born in Böblingen, Germany, in 1973, began a career as a state-certified occupational therapist before studying design, fashion, and illustration at the University of the Arts Bremen and at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. She illustrates her own picture books as well as those of other authors. Her own works have been translated into several languages. She lives with her family in Hamburg-Altona.

About The Author

Acclaim

Steinhöfel tenderly captures a child’s fear and understanding of a loved one with dementia…. Lush, evocative language, tingly with a sense of place and emotion, is accompanied by Palmtag’s colored pencil illustrations that prove a perfect match with their whimsy and tenderness. With its loving portrayal of aging, caring for the elderly, and the keen nature of kids’ sensibilities, this is a must-purchase for all libraries serving children.

School Library Journal, Starred Review

A quiet story and pleasant music combine for a calming, peaceful, and even uplifting performance.

Kirkus Reviews

A story that enchants on several levels.

Augsburger Allgemeine

Deftly written… A touching story for children ages 6 to 12 about dementia and the special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.

Midwest Book Review

A work of art…close to reality, but light, deep, and drenched with sunlight.

This is a beautiful story reminiscent of And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. Written almost like a poem, the relationship between the boy and his grandfather will bring tears of happiness to your eyes.

Betsy Maxwell

A moving and beautiful story about a young boy who is struggling to accept that his grandfather is losing his memory from dementia. Max decides to kidnap his grandfather from the nursing home and bring him to a place that has strong positive...Read More

Review of If My Moon Was Your Sun

A moving and beautiful story about a young boy who is struggling to accept that his grandfather is losing his memory from dementia. Max decides to kidnap his grandfather from the nursing home and bring him to a place that has strong positive memories. The novel addresses themes such as adventure, life cycle, acceptance and resilience… I could relate to Max because my grandmother is currently suffering from dementia. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Brandon J. Dyer

Brandon J. Dyer

A poignant story about a boy's love for this grandfather and his struggle to grapple with the reality that he's losing his memories to Alzheimer's. In an attempt to "free" the grandfather from the nursing home in which he's confined, the boy...Read More

Review of If My Moon Was Your Sun

A poignant story about a boy's love for this grandfather and his struggle to grapple with the reality that he's losing his memories to Alzheimer's. In an attempt to "free" the grandfather from the nursing home in which he's confined, the boy arranges an escape. The two spend a day together, along with a whimsical elderly woman who tags along and adds vivacity and spontaneity to the day. A very sweet and sobering read. Highly recommended.

Debbi Mack

Debbi Mack

An ethereal look at the beautiful relationship between a grandson and his grandfather. Max's grandfather has Alzheimer's Disease, and his memory is fading. The adventure begins when Max kidnaps his grandfather from the nursing home, and Miss...Read More

Review of If My Moon Was Your Sun

An ethereal look at the beautiful relationship between a grandson and his grandfather. Max's grandfather has Alzheimer's Disease, and his memory is fading. The adventure begins when Max kidnaps his grandfather from the nursing home, and Miss Schneider, also suffering from the disease, tags along as they sneak out to explore. Max can tell he is losing his grandfather and takes the situation into his own hands to clutch onto the grandfather he has known and loved, for perhaps just one more time… This is the perfect book to help explain dementia to children: its effects, and how it does not erase the years of love, even when the person does not remain the same. Highly recommended for school and public libraries, grief counselors, child psychologists, family counselors, medical libraries, and nursing homes. This touching book tastefully handles a delicate topic with grace and dignity, and a wry touch of humor.

Deborah Fleet

Deborah Fleet

This book … made it clear that 2017 was the best possible year to kidnap one’s grandfather from a nursing home. What could lead to disaster is instead a gentle, touching take on coming to terms with losing a favorite grandparent slowly. 9-year-old...Read More

Review of If My Moon Was Your Sun

This book … made it clear that 2017 was the best possible year to kidnap one’s grandfather from a nursing home. What could lead to disaster is instead a gentle, touching take on coming to terms with losing a favorite grandparent slowly. 9-year-old Max knows that his grandfather has good and bad days, but the boy’s greatest fear is that he’ll be forgotten by his grandfather forever soon. Happily, in a moment of lucidity the grandfather compares his situation to that of the sun and the moon. The moon is in the sky, even when you cannot see it. So too is the grandfather’s love, obscured though it might be. An accompanying CD includes classic music that you can play as you read different scenes. There’s really nothing to compare.

Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal Blog Network

Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal Blog Network

This is one of those books your read to your child (or class) so they become more emotionally intelligent, while you, the adult, choke back tears. This book was touching because of the idea of a young boy loving his grandfather so deeply, but also...Read More

Review of If My Moon Was Your Sun

This is one of those books your read to your child (or class) so they become more emotionally intelligent, while you, the adult, choke back tears. This book was touching because of the idea of a young boy loving his grandfather so deeply, but also in the way the character's voice was so distinctly 10 years old. Max is in that perfect stage between misunderstanding the way adults act because of his childishness and understanding the same scenarios more profoundly than even the adults. He was the perfect character to portray such a sweet story of love for someone he knows, deep down, isn't going to be around forever.

Elizabeth O’Meara

Elizabeth O’Meara

This book tells how a young boy breaks his grandfather out of the nursing home. Max is afraid of losing his best friend, his protector, his grandfather. This may be a children's book, but it is deeply thoughtful and beautifully written…. It's about...Read More

Review of If My Moon Was Your Sun

This book tells how a young boy breaks his grandfather out of the nursing home. Max is afraid of losing his best friend, his protector, his grandfather. This may be a children's book, but it is deeply thoughtful and beautifully written…. It's about a boy who wants adventure. It's about loving.

Gabby F.

Gabby F.

I have read it three times already and will share it with my grandsons. Dementia runs in my family and this is an excellent book to explain in a child's words how to cope with the loss of memory. Beautifully illustrated and a wonder story!

J. Stroh

I've had relatives with dementia… That's what spoke to me about this book and I loved it! … This is a lovely book combination and it covers a difficult subject. Maybe no one in your family will be afflicted with [dementia], but letting young ones...Read More

Review of If My Moon Was Your Sun

I've had relatives with dementia… That's what spoke to me about this book and I loved it! … This is a lovely book combination and it covers a difficult subject. Maybe no one in your family will be afflicted with [dementia], but letting young ones know what it is and how they act will probably help them through life.

Jo Ann Hakola

Jo Ann Hakola

What a beautiful and tender story depicting the difficulty children have accepting and understanding the diminishing abilities of the ones they love. I loved this book. It would be a great read for any child faced with a grandparent with memory loss.

Karen Mashburn

When I was young, my grandfather lived in my family's home until his passing from Alzheimer's disease. Thus I found this book difficult to handle and absolutely beautiful. I read it without the audio the first time. On that first experience, I...Read More

Review of If My Moon Was Your Sun

When I was young, my grandfather lived in my family's home until his passing from Alzheimer's disease. Thus I found this book difficult to handle and absolutely beautiful. I read it without the audio the first time. On that first experience, I relished the wordcraft and beautiful illustrations. I remembered moments with my grandfather--his giant stride, his mischievous eye twinkle, his hand in mine. And I cried.
I found myself putting off listening to the CD for a few days, thinking of it but finding a reason to save it. I shared the listening with my children, ages 7 & 9. I found the audio added another layer of beauty and a sort of under-girding of peace. It was a joyful experience. And I cried.

Lynette Williams

Lynette Williams

Steinhofel speaks to the way that longing fills your entire body, too big for just your heart to contain it. He writes of a grandfather who hums, the noise lifting from his body. He writes of the moon, always there during the day but sometimes not...Read More

Review of If My Moon Was Your Sun

Steinhofel speaks to the way that longing fills your entire body, too big for just your heart to contain it. He writes of a grandfather who hums, the noise lifting from his body. He writes of the moon, always there during the day but sometimes not able to be seen. Then he beautifully ties that image to the relationship of a grandfather with dementia and the grandson he loves.